Motive power and driving means for rotating propeller of helicopters



Feb. 11, 1947. v p FLE|$$M 2,415,54-

MOTIVE POWER AND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING PROPELLER OF HELICOPTERS Filed Oct. 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR! HELICOPTERS V. P. FLEISS Feb. 11, 1947.

MOTIVE POWER AND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING PROPELLER OF Filed Oct. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/11111111.

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Patented Feb. 11, 1947 MOTIV E POWER AND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING PROPELLER OF HELICOPTERS Victor P. Fleiss, New York, N. Y.

Application October 13, 1945, Serial No. 622,195

6 Claims.

This invention relates to helicopter vehicles, and more particularly to the motive power and driving means therefor, and aims to provide a novel and efiicient propulsion means for the lifting propeller of a helicopter whereby the power and efficiency are increased.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and. reference numerals in the description refer to likenumbered parts on the drawings. It is to be noted that the drawings are intended for the purpose of illustration only, and that it is neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to the specific details of construction shown excepting insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a helicopter vehicle, illustrating an application of the 20 invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1, with parts broken away and partly in section to expose the interior.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the 25 line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig.4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line ii -5 of Fig. 3.

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the vertical propeller shaft and associated parts of the mechanism.-

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view of a propeller blade, with parts broken away and partly in section.

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram ofthe ignition system.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral it] indicates the body of a wheeled vehiole, which may be of any type such as passenger or bus, or freight or'truck, and which has a support or bracket I! raised above the floor [2. A ball bearing l3 mounted in the opening I4 in the top of the bracket ll rotatably supports the 45 lower extremity [5 of a shaft l6 which extends through an opening in the roof I! and through the ball bearing l8 supported in the roof. The shaft i6 is hollow throughout the intermediate portion of its length, as shown at IS, the lower portion thereof being of reduced diameter and having the extension 2| of the hollow interior passage l9 thereof consequently also of reduced diameter.

The upper end 22 of the shaft I6 is solid ex- 56 cepting for two passages or channels 23 which .pass therethrough and communicate with like channels 2 5' in the propeller blades 25. The channels 24 extend the length of the blades 25 and near the ends of the blades communicate with like channels 25 at right angles thereto, the latter extending through the following edges of the blades and having their ends open at 21 in the said edges. Spark plugs 28 are mounted in the blades so that their ignition terminals 29 lie in the channels 26.

Secured to and preferably made integral with the lower shaft extension I5 are a pair of tanks 30 and 3!, the former serving as a fuel tank and having the plug 32, and the latter serving as a compressed air chamber and having the exhaust safety valve 33. Positioned upon and communicating therewith through a valve 34, is a pump housing or cylinder having the piston 36 slidable therein. The piston rod 31 is pivoted to a crank rod 38 which in turn is pivoted at an off-center point to a pinion 39 supported on a bracket arm 46 extending from the pump housing. A ring gear 4! is rigid about the underside of the opening in the roof ll and the pinion 39 is in mesh therewith.

A wall 42 having a passage and valve seat 43 through the center thereof, serves as a partition near the upper end of the passage IQ of the hollow shaft iii. A long rod 54 is slidably mounted in the passage 25 of the reduced shaft end 2i and extends upward through the opening 43, having a valve head 35 on its upper end adapted to close the passage 43 when in lowermost position. The lower end of the rod id extends below the bearing [5 and is pivoted to one end of a simple lever :35 fulcrumed at 46 to the floor l2. By means of a push rod or link 4'! pivoted to the other end of the lever 35 and pivotally connected to a pivoted pedal 43 normally urged upward by a spring 49, the valve rod 44 isnormally maintained in raised position whence the valve passage 43 is normally open.

At the base of the cylinders 35 and 3|, a platform 50 is formed whose upper peripheral edge is beveled and toothed to provide a bevel gear in mesh with a bevel pinion 5i fixed on a shaft 52. A second shaft 53 in alignment with the latter has a pinion 54 thereon in mesh with a gear 55 to drive a vertical propeller 56. A clutch 5T joins the shafts 52 and 53 and may be provided with means, not shown, for engaging and disengaging of the same.

A pipe 58 leads from the fuel tank 30 into the shaft passage l9, and. a pipe 59 also leads from the air tank 3! into the said passage, the upper end of the former being bent to a horizontal position and terminating just about the upper end of the latter to provide an atomizer as will be described below.

Dry electric cells 60 are mounted securely on the tank 32 and strapped against the shaft l6. As shown in the wiring diagram of Fig. 8, leads 6i from the battery SI] connect the primary of an induction coil 62 through a switch 63 with an armature E4 and armature contact 65, to provide the equivalent of a bell or buzzer circuit. The secondary of the coil is connected by leads B6 to the terminal contacts 29 of the spark plugs 28. It is apparent that closing the switch 63 will thus cause a rapid succession of sparks to jump in the plugs 28.

Assuming that the engine described has come to rest after operating for a while, an amount of pressure will be maintained on the air in the tank 3|. Upon depression of the pedal 48 to raise the valve head 45, the said air under pressure will flow up the pipe 59, past the mouth of the pipe 58 and thereby, in the manner of an atomizer, draw fuel up the pipe 58 and send it on up the passage 19 as an atomized combustible mixture. The mixture will continue through the channels 23, 24, and 2B and out to the wing edge tips 21. If the switch 63 has been simultaneously closed, the sparks passing at the plugs 23 will ignite the mixture which will explosively leave the outlets 27, thereby causing rotation of the propeller. The switch 63 may be opened after the above propulsion has started, as the mixture will be automatically ignited as it reaches the outlets 21.

Rotation of the propeller carries with it the shaft I6 as well as the tanks 30 and 3i and gear 50, and it is obvious thatwith the pinion 39 thus riding around the gear 4! the pump 35 will operate to pump air into the tank 3 i When it is desired to operate the forward propeller 56, the clutch 51 is engaged by the clutch-operating means above mentioned, not shown.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A machine having a frame including a floor and a roof, said roof having an opening therein, a Vertical shaft projecting through and rotatably mounted in said roof opening, a fuel tank and an air compression tank secured rigidly to said shaft between said floor and roof, a reciprocating pump rigid on said air tank and communicating therewith, said shaft being hollow, pipes leading from said tanks into said shaft, a ring gear secured to said roof around said opening,,a pinion in mesh with said gear, a bracket rigid on said pump supporting said pinion, said shaft having horizontal propeller blades thereon and having chan-' nels therein in communication with said hollow shaft, valve means for opening or closing the passage through said hollow shaft, said channels extending lengthwise in said blades and terminating in openings through the following edges thereof, spark plugs mounted in said blades adjacent said channel terminating openings, a source of electric supply, electric circuit-interrupting means in series with said source and said plugs, said pipes having their terminating ends in said hollow shaft and juxtaposed to form an atomizer for said fuel.

2. The machine set forth in claim 1, said valve means comprising a baflle in said hollow shaft below the level of said blades, said baffle having an axial opening therethrough, a valve stem slidably mounted in said shaft and extending through said baffle opening, said stem having a valve head thereon adapted to close said bailie opening in lowermost position of said stem, and means for raising or lowering said stem.

3. A machine having a frame including a floor and a roof, said roof having an opening therethrough, a shaft rotatably supported on said floor and passing through said roof and having horizontal propeller blades thereon, a fuel tank, and air compressor tank and an air pump rigidly secured to said shaft, said shaft being hollow, said blades having channels extending therethrough, the open extremities of said channels passing through the following edges of said blades and having spark plugs thereadjacent, communicating means between said pump, said air tank and said fuel tank for forcing a mixture of fuel and air upward through said hollow shaft upon actuation of said pump, and means partly on said roof and partly on said shaft for actuating said pump upon rotation of said shaft, and an electrical source of supply and a circuit interrupter in series with said spark plugs.

4. The machine set forth in claim 3, having valve means for controlling the flow of said mixture through said shaft.

5. The machine set forth in claim 3, said pump actuating means comprising a ring gear on said roof surrounding said shaft, a bracket secured to one of said tanks and having a pinion pivotally mounted thereon, said pinion being in mesh with said ring gear, said pinion being operatively connected to said pump.

6. The machine set forth in claim 3, valve means for controlling the flow ofv said mixture throughsaid shaft, said pump actuating means comprising a ring gear on said roof surrounding said shaft, a bracket secured to one of said tanks and having a pinion mounted thereon, said pinion beingin mesh with said ring gear, said pinion being operatively connected to said pump.

VICTOR P. FLEISS. 

